Empathy training program for undergraduate healthcare students using AI-generated virtual clients
Empathy Training for Healthcare Students Through Combined Didactic, Practical and AI-based Methods
This project tests whether a short empathy training that uses AI-generated 3D virtual clients and traditional teaching can improve empathy and communication skills in undergraduate healthcare students.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 108 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Hong Kong Metropolitan University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (Ho Man Tin, Kowloon) |
| Trial ID | NCT07320365 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
The program combines brief didactic lectures, skills rehearsal, mindfulness exercises, and practice with AI-generated 3D virtual clients delivered through a Unity-based user interface with a chatbot for interactive Q&A. Undergraduate healthcare students who meet eligibility criteria will complete the training and be measured before and after the program on empathetic attitudes, empathetic communication skills, and cognitive flexibility using standardized instruments. The intervention is designed to offer more consistent, scalable experiential practice than role-play or standardized patients. The project is conducted at Hong Kong Metropolitan University and targets native Chinese-speaking students.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal participants are native Chinese-speaking undergraduate students enrolled in healthcare-related programs, age 18 or older, with no prior empathy training or prior healthcare work experience and who have not been primary carers for disabled or chronically ill people.
Not a fit: Students who already have prior empathy training, substantial healthcare work experience, or who served as main carers for disabled or chronically ill people may show little additional benefit due to prior exposure or ceiling effects.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the program could help healthcare students communicate more empathetically and flexibly with patients, improving patient experience and care quality.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work using virtual reality and experiential learning for empathy training has shown promise but produced inconsistent results, so this AI-virtual-client approach is promising but not yet proven at scale.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * undergraduate students enrolled in a healthcare-related program * no previous experience with empathy-related training * no previous experience working in healthcare settings * age 18 years or above * native Chinese speakers. Exclusion Criteria: \- are or were the main carers of people who are disabled or chronically ill because empathy may be promoted through experience.
Where this trial is running
Ho Man Tin, Kowloon
- Hong Kong Metropolitan University — Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Tai Wa Liu, PhD — Hong Kong Metropolitan University
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.